December 27, 2014 - Day 2:
Our first stop for today's tour was the Garin Farm located in San Joaquin, Iloilo City. Travel time from Iloilo City Proper to San Joaquin is around 45 minutes via private car.
Upon entering Garin Farm, we saw many livestock such as native chickens, cows, goats, and pigs. They also have hito, murrah buffalo and pigeons. Here is what you will see upon entering the farm. A long straight road that will lead you to the next scenic spot. :)
Tadahhh!
In here you can do single/double kayak boating, water bike boating, pedal boating, or rubber boating.
Across this lake is where the dove call is being done.
During the dove call, tourists can actually fees the doves, for free!
This is so much FUN! Both kids and adults will enjoy this one. :)
After feeding the doves, we decided to have our lunch. They have their own restaurant just across the lake. It is an open area where you can enjoy the fresh air of the province. There are seats inside and also outside for those who want to enjoy the view while eating.
We ordered the following for our lunch:
Crispy Fried Pantat (per 100 gms.) @ 65 PhP
And for our refreshments, we ordered:
Each viand is good for 2-3 persons. The prices are not bad, and actually, very affordable. My personal favorite is the Sizzling Pork Sisig. Its sauce, which I think is mayo garlic, is mixed with the pork bits thoroughly. The taste of their mayo garlic is unique and different from what I have tasted in other Sizzling Pork Sisig. The pork is crispy and cooked just right.
Overall, our rating for their food is 5 stars! :D We really enjoyed each viand that we ordered and their prices are really affordable.
After our lunch, we went to the Pilgrimage area, which has the 400-step staircase leading to the giant cross.
Here we are upon reaching the top!
These are some shots from the top:
After climbing and going down the 400-step staircase, we got hungry and decided to have our dinner at Griller's Oyster House in Smallville 21 which is located in Barangay San Rafael, Mandurriao, Iloilo City. In Smallville 21, there are a lot of restaurants you can choose from. This is where nightlife happens and called as the nightlife center of Iloilo.
We ordered one bilao of their famous dish and specialty, the baked talaba. And each one of us had the talaba combo meal for the main dish.
Bilao of the famous Baked Talaba
This bilao has a variety of baked talabas. It has talaba with spicy sauce, talaba with cheese, talaba with garlic and plain talaba.
Again, all of the dishes are really good, most especially the Baked Talaba. It is big and really fresh.
After a long day of eating, we decided to have a walk along the Esplanade. This is a loooong strait along the river. There are also benches where people can rest for a while and take some pictures. The plants are also distributed along the strait.
Wow, what a day! We again had a fun and good time touring around in some of the tourist spots in Iloilo. 'Til tomorrow! :)
